Kaiju Wars Episode 3: Death From Above
by Zillah 91
Summary: Sequel to Of Men and Monsters. The UNXCC and JSDF prepare to wage war against Godzilla, but when another monster appears to wreak havoc, the world's worst nightmare may be the only hope of stopping the destruction. COMPLETE.
1. Eruption

And now, ladies and gentlemen: "Kaiju Wars Episode 3: Death From Above!" No prizes for guessing the Kaiju this time, I'm afraid. You may be pleased to known that "The Nightmare Serpent" can be expected not so very far down the line.

As before, just for the sake of it: "PREVIOUSLY ON GODZILLA: KAIJU WARS: After hatching from an egg recovered from the South Seas, Godzilla imprints on Miki Saegusa and, after a failed capture attempt by the UNXCC, is deemed a grave threat by the JSDF. While Miki is kidnapped by agents of the murderous organisation known as the Red Bamboo, Godzilla battles a new creature, Anguirus, on Odo Island before rescuing her- but the JSDF is preparing to battle the creature after he destroys a warehouse in Tokyo Bay in the process…

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

ERUPTION

It started as a quiet rumbling, almost unnoticed by the residents of the village. The sound was barely even registered as they each went about their business, children playing in backyards or in fields, farmers tending to crops or young men and woman heading towards the train station for the daily commute.

Then, a few heads turned to glance up at the long-dormant volcano. Then a few more, and a few more… until almost all heads were turned to the source of the rumbling noise, gasps and concerned whispers spreading from one crowd to another.

Those few who had not yet noticed the sound were jarred to alertness by the sudden, crashing, exploding sound as what looked like the top of a dark-grey mushroom cloud sprouted from the volcano, rising into the air on a long, dense column of smoke.

The voices of sudden fear grew more numerous, as the villagers began to turn in droves away from the volcano. Voices became shouts. Shouts became screams as the rumbling grew, and the thick cloud of ashen smoke drew across the sky to hang over the village.

The ground shook, just for a few seconds. Pots rattled, children struggled to stand, shelves fell from the walls with cluttering smashes.

In the midst of the noise and sudden fear, a great, dark something rose from the mouth of the volcano, obscured by the smoke and ash, like a huge dart shooting up from the volcano like a bullet from a gun.

A wide pair of wings unfolded from the object, the sheer force sending smoke billowing out as, with a low, cackling howl, the flying creature ascended into the air.

* * *

Another short opening chapter, as always. Just my style.

As you may have figured out, whenever I finish one of these stories, I'll upload the first part of the next one at the same time. Same with my entries for "Soul of a Monster". Mainly so that nobody misses the sequels.

All reviews welcome!


	2. Assignment

Chapter two, then. Enjoy!

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

ASSIGNMENT

JSDF Base, North of Tokyo, Japan

"_Miki_!" Miyuki snapped as she pushed the door into the rec. room open, "What do you think you're doing?"

Miki turned round sharply, her arm still in the white cast, from where she'd been opening the window.

"I told you, it's fine," She insisted.

"You didn't even take the painkillers, did you?" Miyuki asked.

"I don't need to dope myself up to deal with this," Miki answered sharply. "Besides, I hate those things."

"True," Miyuki remembered, suddenly feeling a sharp pang of guilt. How could she have forgotten something like that, after what the poor child had been through before being found by the JSDF? "But all the same: Get your backside on the sofa."

"It's just an arm," Miki insisted, "I can still do things."

"Yeah, things like sitting down," Miyuki pointed. "Come on, Miki. Humour me."

Exasperatedly, Miki slumped down onto the sofa.

"Besides, it's not like you're missing anything," Miyuki reassured her, "And your pet lizard hasn't gotten himself into any more trouble… mainly because he hasn't left the dock in the last week."

Miki nodded quietly, turning to look out the window as Miyuki walked out of the room, leaving her alone.

She could still feel his concern pressing into the back of her mind. It was understandable; he was protective enough of her to have killed and burned down a warehouse, and now she was injured. He was staying close, making sure that no further harm came to her, like a parent bird with an injured chick.

She muttered into the link. The incoming flood of emotions told her, all concern and worry. It was pure feeling pouring into her mind, like words made from pure emotion. In some way, this method of communicating was even better than speaking; it was pure, untainted. Nothing was concealed. Godzilla 'said'. The word stung at Miki, almost as badly as the realisation that it was true. 

She shut her eyes, trying to tell him through the link, in their own way, that she would be OK, that with time her injury would heal; just not as fast as his did.

Godzilla's deep, rumbling 'voice' insisted. She wasn't sure why she always interpreted his thoughts in such a voice; maybe it was just the way she imagined he might talk. 

Nevertheless, a week ago, she'd seen the side of him that, deep down, she knew she'd been in denial about. Before she'd blacked out, she saw him go after her attackers, and at that moment, there was none of the warmth or love she sensed now; just pure rage, hate and vengeance.

Takuya might have had a point; Godzilla might have imprinted on her, she might even have 'adopted' him, but at the end of the day, he was still a wild animal.

She remembered the old saying, and wondered just how true it would turn out to be. 

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Briefing Room, 2 hours later

"So what's happened this time, Doug?" Kazama asked.

"Well, I'm aware that the situation here is rather… tense," Gordon answered, nodding to Miki, who seemed to refuse to meet his eye, "But as you know, I've been ordered to put a team together to deal with the current situation, and that's you people."

He placed a small number of photos on the desk.

"This morning, a minor eruption occurred at Mt. Aso," He explained.

"Yeah, it was on the news," Miyuki answered, "They said there were no fatalities."

"And so far, that's correct," Gordon answered, "What the news didn't mention… was this."

He pushed one photograph forward, a picture of the top of the volcano. In the middle of the pillar of smoke was a sillhouette of a pair of a huge something, with wide bat-like wings and a tail swinging through the air behind it.

"We don't know what his thing is," Gordon pointed out, "But it's wingspan is estimated at nearly 270 feet. When it came out of the volcano, we believe it was doing almost Mach. 1."

"That's impossible," Miyuki spoke up, "No living creature can move that fast."

"Not that we know of," Gordon answered, "You're the new unit for dealing with these things, so your job is to find out exactly what and where this thing is; unfortunately, we lost it after it emerged, thanks to the eruption."

"No mistaken identity this time?" Miki asked.

"They're not _that_ stupid," Gordon answered, "We don't know what this thing is, where it's come form, what it's capable of or what it's going to do. Therefore, this thing is now a national defence priority."

"Then we're off to Mt. Aso," Osaki finished, "When do we leave?"

"Immediately," Gordon answered, "We travel by boat, but…"

"Miki," Takuya realised.

"18 and over?" Miki asked cynically.

"No. 18 and over with two fully functional arms. Sorry, kid, but there's no way I can convince anyone to bring an _injured_ 15-year-old into a Military operation. Besides: You will have one extra hand on this."

"Who?" Osaki asked, surprised.

The door behind them swung open, and a somewhat familiar tall, attractive woman stepped inside.

"Me," She answered Osaki's question.

"Special Ops agent Akane Yashiro," Gordon introduced her.

Miki looked up in genuine surprise. She definitely hadn't expected to see Akane again so soon after she just vanished.

"Didn't see that coming," Kazama broke the stunned silence, before saying under his breath, but not quite quietly enough: "Man, she's hot…"

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Dock

Miki, Akane and Osaki stood staring up at the side of the ship.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Osaki stated as he looked further up at Kazama, who was on the railing.

"Did it yesterday," Kazama beamed proudly.

Spray painted onto the side of a ship was a dark-green sideways cylinder, which on the left hand side turned into a sideways silhouette of Godzilla's head, jaws parted. There were even a few spikes along the whole thing. The words '_G-Force' _were stencilled inside it, with the large '_G'_ inside the Godzilla head.

"G-Force?" Osaki asked.

"Yup," Kazama answered with a grin, "That's us. Gordon said we were a team, so we need a name and a logo."

"Is he always like this?" Akane asked.

"You get used to him," Miki shrugged. "Look, I… I wanted to say 'thanks'. About the whole thing last week…"

"I was just doing my job," Akane answered flatly, "Frankly, having a child involved in a situation like this…"

"Everybody get moving," Gordon ordered from the side of the boat.

"So why are we taking only one group of people?" Akane asked as she stepped aboard.

"Because of what happened the last time we left the place with lax security," Osaki answered, "Although I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try anything after what Godzilla did to the last bunch who tried."

* * *

OK, there's chapter 2, which got pretty hard to write before the end. I was trying have Akane come off as 'cold' rather than a total bitch. I'm not sure how to write her, since, ironically, "Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla III" is the only Godzilla movie I haven't seen. There's also one more human character from the movies left to introduce, as it happens.

All reviews welcome!


	3. Descent of Destruction

Chapter 3 for your enjoyment, despite the fact that I've got a horrible cold. Worst of all: Wish me luck, I get my GCSE results tomorrow morning AND my dad's going into hospital for a minor operation on the same day. But enough of my woes. Enjoy the chapter.

If I get the geographical location of anything wrong, that is because I don't know where it is and I don't have the patience to find out.

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

DESCENT OF DESTRUCTION

Mt. Aso

The thick plume of smoke still remained, spreading at almost a right-angle over the village, as the boat, emblazoned with its new emblem, slowed to a stop along the nearby river.

A few minutes later, its occupants had disembarked and entered the small village that sat nestled near the base of the volcano.

"This volcano's been dormant for years," Takuya recited, "There's definitely a link between this… whatever it is… and the eruption."

"Obviously," Akane answered dryly.

"I might not know anything about her except her name," Miyuki muttered to Osaki, "But I already want to feed her to Miki's lizard."

"Any units been up to the volcano yet?" Colonel Gordon asked one of the soldiers standing by the jeep parked on the side of the street.

"No, sir," The soldier answered, "Not yet. Orders are to let your people take the first crack at it, but the village has been evacuated."

"This confuse anyone?" Kazama asked.

"The giant monster?" Miyuki asked sarcastically.

"That too, but think about it," Kazama answered, "The Colonel said that monsters and things were made and killed about fifty or sixty years ago, right?"

"Your point being?" Takuya asked.

"Well first Godzilla hatches, then Anguirus turns up on Odo Island, and now…" He paused, "…This one needs a name."

"Actually, he has a point," Miyuki realised, "There doesn't seem to be anything actually linking their appearances, so why are they all showing up now?"

"Does it matter?" Akane answered, "We're here to kill this thing."

"No," Miyuki corrected her, "We've been put together as a research unit, and this thing's a scientific anomaly. We're here to find out what it is and find a way to contain it so that it can be studied."

"So that it can break out again?"

"Ladies, ladies," Kazama interrupted, "We're professionals here…"

"Says the soldier who spent his morning painting the side of a boat," Akane retorted.

"Wait a second," Osaki interrupted them, "…Anyone hear that?"

The sound was faint, growing slightly louder with each passing second. Like drawn-out drumbeats, or…

Or the beating of massive wings.

All eyes turned up as the veil of ash hanging in the air over the village was forced aside, the massive shape lowering into view with such speed that the ash almost seemed to form a tail behind it.

"Everybody down!" Osaki shouted, everybody diving to the floor as the creature swooped down over them. As it shot past, a huge rush of wind sent the jeep and the few remaining cars flying through the street, smashing into each other and into the sides of buildings.

The creature was 150 feet long, and as they folded out, its wings were 270 feet from one tip to the other. The scales that covered it were a dark brown, the undersides of its wings lighter in colour. Its head, tipped with a pair of curved horns with a cluster of smaller spikes in the middle, terminated in a hard, off-yellow beak that parted to give an echoing howl. Its underside was covered in spiked ridges, and a pair of muscular legs ended in long talons.

As the flying creature passed over the village, its talons dropped down, smashing through the tops of buildings and sending chunks of brickwork and cement flying out behind it like the wake behind a jet-ski. With a flap of its wings, it rose higher into the air, smashing through the sound barrier as the sheer force of its momentum caused the buildings beneath it to shatter into showers of debris, clouds of dust rising into the air.

The monster turned in the air, unfolding its wings and soaring over the remaining part of the village.

It pulled its head back, as if preparing itself, it parted its beak, a stream of flame shooting forth to coat the buildings below, bathing them in fire and burning through its solid targets even as the source of the flame passed over, the searing blast ceasing.

"Fire!" Gordon shouted into his radio.

Three soldiers who were near enough to the passing creature raised missile launchers to their shoulders, took aim and fired.

Three missiles, atop smoky streams, shot up through the air and collided with the creature, bursting into fiery explosions on contact. Two struck the monster's chest, one more exploding against the side of its wing.

The beast simply turned its head in mid-air, opening its beak and, pulling its head back again, spat forth a burst of fire, the soldiers scattering as the projectile struck the ground between them.

With a triumphant howl, the avian beast turned again, flying back up into the coat of ash that shrouded the village, vanishing into its fold back towards the volcano, as the plumes of dust and smoke rose to mix with the ashen cloud.

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"Somebody want to tell me what in the seven hells that was?" Gordon asked as the newly-christened "G-Force" bustled into the JSDF base camp, brushing a layer of soot and ash off of his shoulder.

"_Another_ dinosaur," Miyuki answered, "Well, something similar. This looked like a pterosaur, maybe a Pteranodon…"

"Fascinating," Gordon answered dryly, "Now what to we do about it?"

"I'm not sure," Osaki answered, "This one's _definitely_ mutated, unless other pterosaurs were able to breathe fire."

"According to what the scientists already here told us, there's no radiation in the area," Takuya answered.

"And the flames were different from Godzilla's breath," Osaki nodded.

"I wonder," Miyuki thought out loud, "We saw earlier that Godzilla and Anguirus were pretty resistant to damage. Maybe… what if Rodan actually came from the volcano?"

"Already mutated?" Takuya asked, "I know for a fact: Pterosaurs were big, but they didn't grow to _that_ size."

"It's still a possibility," Miyuki answered, "If it became entombed underground after it was mutated, perhaps it could have been in some sort of suspended animation. Then this eruption happens, and out it comes."

"Wouldn't someone have noticed that?" Osaki asked.

"Not if the UNXCC covered it up like they did with all those others," Miyuki answered.

"But to survive in those conditions, it would have to be able to withstand the temperature of molten lava," Takuya pointed out.

"Well, who's to say it can't? You saw how it shrugged off those missiles."

"Hang on a second," Gordon cut in, lifting his radio to his ear, "Colonel Gordon… What? …That's not… Yes, I understand that, but… Fine." He placed the radio back on its holster, "UNXCC." He declared grimly.

"How do any of you even know about them?" Akane spoke up for the first time since entering the base camp.

"They had a run-in with Godzilla just before the whole mess last week," Osaki answered. "So what about them?"

"The UNXCC is to be involved in the operation?" Gordon answered, "Thanks to satellite surveillance of what happened, this is now a matter of national security."

"Then this isn't going to end well, judging by what happened with their last attempt," Osaki said. "Great."

It was at that moment that Miyuki turned her head to see that Kazama seemed to be engrossed in thought.

"Have you even been listening?" She demanded.

"Of course I have," Kazama answered defensively, "Mutant pteranodon-thingy that breathes fire, came from inside the volcano, tough, bad people now involved. I was just thinking."

"I already regret asking," Miki sighed, "But thinking what?"

"Well," Kazama mused, "This thing needs a name so I was thinking: Pteranodon… Pte… Ran… O…. Don… Ranodon… Radon… Rodan. Hey, that's a good one. How's Rodan sound?"

Akane slapped a palm to her forehead, silently lamenting who she was stuck working with.

* * *

And there we have some plot points, the proper introduction of Rodan, and a little attempt at humour towards the end.

Well, I'm off, I'll need a decent night's sleep before tomorrow. (I'm more worried about the results than the exams themselves…)

All reviews welcome!


	4. Battle at Sea

Well, I got my exam results today, and I am VERY pleased with them: I even did well in French!!! All I got below a 'C' on was Electronics, which I don't care about, and I aced English. Anyway, back to the story. I forgot to mention Rodan's fire breath is based on his uranium heat beam in Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla II.

And now for a little something with your favourite radioactive lizard and mine…

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

BATTLE AT SEA

_JSDF Base, North of Tokyo, Japan_

This was so much worse than last time, Miki had decided.

She could be helping. She could have found out what the others were up against in a second with her powers. Instead, she was stuck sitting around with a cast on her arm.

This. Sucked.

Worse yet was that, at any given moment, the JSDF was ready to use all the firepower at its disposal to blast Godzilla off the face of the earth.

She wasn't really sure if she was worried about Godzilla, or whatever poor souls were ordered to try and destroy him; Godzilla, as she'd seen, could shrug off a volley of missiles at close range with, as far as anyone could see, no damage. His… what had Miyuki called it?… incendiary radioactive oral defence… could incinerate solid steel. If they tried anything, it would probably end up like…

Like the warehouse.

For the last week, she'd been trying to put it out of her head. Even though Godzilla (apparently) listened to her, up until then she hadn't seen how destructive, how vengeful, he could really be.

He'd swum from Odo Island to Tokyo at an unbelievable speed, without stopping, to rescue her as soon as he sensed she was in trouble. He'd killed three men for harming her. Whenever she thought about it, she realised two things: Firstly, he was a powerful, wild animal that she honestly didn't know if she could control. Second… she mattered _that much_ to him.

She once again felt Godzilla's concern press into the back of her mind, still regularly checking that she was alright.

Having slowly grown more used to psychic "conversations" with something, she let him know that she was still OK, and that she would be better soon. The pure feeling was transmitted to Godzilla's brain, eliciting a returning "signal" of understanding.

Since the link was, by all assumptions, permanent, she might as well learn to control it.

Suddenly, there was a feeling of tension as Godzilla recognised something… a scent, a movement, a shape, something… The recognition triggered a memory, and that in turn sent a spark off on the back of his mind, igniting it into a fire of instinct and anger.

An intruder. A threat. Whatever it was, Miki felt herself return to the "real" world, as outside the window, the dark shape that was Godzilla moved away under the waves.

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The Nuclear-class Submarine approached the dock slowly, the steady wake behind it an ever-widening trail as it moved forth through the water. Its long, sleek form moved with a cold, mechanical precision.

"Target sighted on radar," The captain reported, "Ready to engage."

The blip on the radar suddenly began moving, heading from the side of the radar screen towards the centre.

"Target's approaching, sir! 40 knots."

"Fire torpedo one."

"Aye, sir."

Outside the ship, the torpedo, on a stream of dirtied smoky water and a thick tail of air bubbles, shot forth, arcing through the water to meet the approaching shape.

Underwater, Godzilla, except for the jagged spikes on his back, almost looked serpentine; his well-developed arms and legs were held to the sides of his lean, muscled body. His reptilian head was held straight forward on his elongated neck, his long, powerful tail swishing through the water behind him.

The torpedo swung towards Godzilla as he turned, flexing under the water, lashing out with one hand.

The projectile detonated on impact, with the muffled 'thud' of a blast smothered by water, the water around Godzilla filling with dark smoke.

The dense cloud was forced aside, pushed away by the momentum of Godzilla bursting out, straight towards the source of the attack.

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Miki threw the door open with her good hand, running outside and flashing an ID to a guard (courtesy of Kazama, and a little something Osaki didn't know about) as she dashed out of the base, on a path that she knew from memory would take her to where she sensed Godzilla was.

He'd sensed something, and whatever it was, he didn't like it.

She sensed it again, just like when he'd been fighting Anguirus, almost like at the warehouse, but this time not as strong or as mind-numbing, all rage and instinct and… and…

Oh God…

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"Direct hit, sir… target still approaching."

"Fire torpedo two and three."

The torpedoes shot out of either side of the ship, shooting symmetrically towards Godzilla. The monster saw the attack coming and, though he could easily withstand the strikes, it would simply be foolish to sit still and be struck. So, he dived downwards, one of the torpedoes shooting past him as the other collided with the side of his leg in another muffled, murky explosion.

He shot forward through the water, with a vicious snarl, straight towards the submarine.

"Evasive action!" The captain ordered, "Now!"

It was too late.

Godzilla, rather than colliding with the ship, swam under it, his jagged spinal plates slicing into the underside of the craft. As the metal was cut open with an ear-piercing 'shriek', water instantly started to cut into the gash.

"Hull breach, lower deck!"

"Seal off the area! Get me a location on that thing and fire!"

Turning in the water, Godzilla charged again, this time striking the side of the sub, his momentum carrying it sideways and upwards.

Within the craft, crewmen and object were topped, furniture was thrown around wildly, equipment went berserk, and someone, barely audible over the shouts and sirens, shouted something about surfacing.

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As Miki finally reached the top of the cliff, the surface of the water looked almost eerily calm, as if it had steeled itself up for something.

She stopped, catching her breath. She knew she shouldn't be there with her arm, but she wasn't particularly concerned about that now.

The water bulged, cast aside in showers of sea and surf as the sub was forced up, Godzilla beneath it. Heaving forward, he sent the sub, gashes in the bottom and the sides, thanks to his claws gripping it on the way up, crashing down into the water.

With a roar of fury, he rose to his full height, his arms parted to show his muscular torso as he pulled back his head and inhaled. The split-second glow of his spinal plates told Miki what was coming next…

"Godzilla!" She shouted, desperately crying out to him through the link, her desperation surging into the monster's mind.

Godzilla turned, the sub already forgotten, lowering his head down to the end of the cliff.

"Go back!" Miki shouted, pointing to the water between the cliff and the JSDF base, desperately hoping that, thanks to the link, he'd understand the basic words that followed. "Back! Water! Go!"

Giving Miki a gentle sniff, Godzilla realised the meaning behind her words.

Turning away, he took a long stride forwards, dipping his lower body down and vanishing into the waves with only the tips of his spikes showing his presence.

Miki stood there for a few minutes, finding that tears were forming in her eyes. A moment later, she realised she was shaking.

She was scared. More scared than she'd ever been in her life.

Godzilla hadn't attacked the sub out of self-defence, or territorialism, or any kind of instinct.

It had been for her. She was wounded, and he was protecting her. Just as he had done at the warehouse, he would obliterate _anything_ that threatened her.

An unstoppable colossus that answered to her, and only to her.

And she found herself thinking; with but a thought, she could bring this unstoppable titan's wrath upon anything she desired. All of Godzilla's awesome power… it was all hers to command, should she ever choose to.

For a long second, she felt sick. Disgusted with herself for even thinking something like that.

She'd felt different her whole life, felt freakish or unaccepted, but…

Never, even once, even in her darkest moments, had she ever felt so utterly, sickeningly, obscenely inhuman.

* * *

I figured I'd chuck some darkness into that chapter; honestly, it just wrote itself.

In all honesty, this didn't have an awful lot to do with the actual plot; it's really to show how Miki's trying to adjust to the link, how fearful she's becoming of Godzilla, and generally a bit of a reference to the darker atmosphere of "Godzilla Vs Jagereth". Poor Miki, I make her suffer so. More than anything else, though, this is mostly here because it'll be a while before Godzilla turns up again.

So now I need an opinion: Should this be a chapter of this story, or should I replace it when I write the next chapter and make this into a oneshot instead? Because honestly, I'm thrilled with the way this chapter came out (and still on a high from my exam results).


	5. New Authority

Well I was immensely pleased with the last chapter, so here's the fifth one. With this chapter, we have now reached the halfway mark in this story.

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

NEW AUTHORITY

Near Mt. Aso

The black chopper, with the white letters 'U.N.X.C.C.' emblazoned on its side, descended through the air with whirring rotor blades, slowing before it reached the ground, its landing gear bowing briefly as the blades slowed to a stop.

"They're seriously putting them in charge?" Miyuki asked.

"Because that worked out _so_ well last time," Kazama noted sarcastically.

"This isn't my call," Gordon answered, "Take it up with the UN if anybody.

A tall, slender figure, clad in a black office suit, departed from the chopper. He looked to be in his early 40's, but around the sides his hair was already turning grey. His featured were harsh and cold, and his eyes were a faded blue.

"Colonel Gordon," He nodded as he walked forward.

Gordon nodded, gesturing to each of his associates in turn:

"This is Captain Sinichi Osaki, Doctors Miyuki Otanashi and Takuya Omori, Sergeant Kazama, and special agent Akane Yashiro. And you?"

"General Katagiri," The man introduced himself, "United Nations Xenomorph Countermeasures Centre."

"Yeah, well we've got this," Kazama answered, prompting a muted 'here we go' from Osaki. "No offence, but if I were you, I wouldn't get too ahead of myself after the way you guys dropped the ball with Godzilla."

"Yes," Katagiri answered dryly, looking past Kazama at the rows of crumbling piles of wreckage, dotted with plumes of smoke, that had once been a village, "I can see that you've been doing _much_ better."

Katagiri stepped towards the base camp, the group following as he continued.

"Do you know why the creature attacked the village?"

"No," Takuya answered.

"Do you know where it is right now?"

"We think it's in the volcano, but we're not sure."

"Do you know where it came from?"

"We have a theory."

"I asked if you _knew_ where it came from."

"No, we don't."

"Has any action been taken against the creature?"

"No."

Katagiri stopped, turning towards her.

"Yes, you've been doing a spectacular job, haven't you?" He said derisively. "Does anyone at least have a plan? Or has there been no point to you being here whatsoever?"

"We're _planning_," Miyuki answered, "To find a way of drawing this creature out, then capturing it."

"Not anymore, you're not." Katagiri answered, "The last two attempts to capture one of these creatures alive have been total failures. As of right now, this is a search-and-destroy mission."

"General," Osaki spoke up, "According to what we've seen, conventional weapons aren't going to harm this thing."

"Which is why we'll be using unconventional weapons," Katagiri answered, "D-100 series missiles, newly developed. They pack enough firepower to wipe this whole place off the map."

"Bigger guns," Akane sighed, rolling her eyes, "Men."

"General, I don't think that's going to work," Miyuki warned.

"Oh, really? You've managed to do a thorough scientific analysis of the pterosaur, have you?"

"Well… no…"

"I thought not. We'll commence a bombing run as soon as possible. We'll locate the pteranodon…"

"We're calling it Rodan," Kazama piped up.

"…And destroy it immediately," Katagiri continued as if he hadn't spoken. "From here on in, the UNXCC has control of this operation."

"Nevertheless," Gordon, who like the others had taken an instant dislike to Katagiri, "I suggest we call one more person in."

"And who, pray tell, would that be?"

"The one person who could understand how these creatures think," Gordon answered.

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2 hours later

"This," Katagiri asked, "Is your expert?"

"Nice to meet you too," Miki replied icily. "And you'd be?"

"General Katagiri," Katagiri answered, "United Nations…"

"He's the head of the UNXCC," Kazama surmised.

"As in, the people who tried to capture Godzilla?" Miki asked.

"Yes," Katagiri answered, "Rather successfully, had it not been for a small miscalculation," He added with a degree of self-satisfaction.

Miki narrowed her eyes and turned to Osaki.

"I am _not_ helping him," She stated flatly.

"Miki, we don't have much choice," Osaki pointed out, "We don't know how much damage Rodan could do."

"I came up with the name," Kazama said proudly.

"We just think you might be able to figure out what's brought this thing out," Miyuki continued. "That's all."

Miki looked down for a second, took a deep breath, and said:

"I'll try."

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G-Force, now including Miki, stood outside the base camp in a small circle.

"You sure about this, boss?" Kazama asked.

"I just think it's best if we don't do this in sight of Katagiri," Osaki answered, "I don't trust him."

"Good call," Takuya admitted.

Miki closed her eyes and, as she'd practiced, tuned out everything but her thoughts. As it had been lately, there was that new presence in her mind, the link tugging at the edge of her senses, but this time, she ignored it, instead reaching out with her own consciousness.

There it was. Wild, untamed and new. Sheer instinct, like Godzilla but with none of the familiarity or affection.

She focused on it, reaching out to it with her consciousness.

Then, she was submerged in a tidal wave of feeling, memory and emotion. There was darkness, endless darkness for as long as it could remember.

Then everything shook, walls of rock on all sides lit up by searing light, liquid heat flooding into every corner of her mind. She winced at the pain, her hands on her head, doubling over.

"What's happening to her?" Akane asked.

"She's OK," Osaki said, helping to support the telepath.

The heat continued, the awesome force throwing her upwards, and then…

Light. Freedom. The sky, the clouds, the sun and everything else.

But the land… it was different now. All these new scents, these new tastes in the air.

And there were these little things, scurrying about in tiny nests as if this place were their own.

Then, it was pure instinct and emotion. It wanted the little things _gone_. This place belonged to it, not to them. They had simply come and staked a claim to what was not theirs. This was _its_ territory, how dare they intrude? And if it would not leave, then it would make them, either drive them away or kill them all…

With the usual sudden rush, she was back in the room, her hair swirling around her shoulders for a second.

"Relax," Osaki told her, "How did it go?"

"Just like Godzilla," Miki whispered, "Just like Anguirus, they're all so…"

"So what?" Takuya asked.

"Primal," Miki answered, "Natural. Pure. Their way of thinking, it's so much clearer, purer…"

"Did you find anything out?" Akane asked.

"It wants us gone," Miki answered, "All of the little things…"

"Humans," Osaki realised. "It must have attacked on a territorial basis, just like Anguirus."

"So it doesn't want anybody near the volcano," Takuya pointed out, "But we can't just leave it here."

"You're right," Osaki answered, "There's way too much of a threat to air traffic, ships, tourists…"

"People are gonna be dumb enough to go monster-spotting?" Kazama asked.

"You'd be surprised," Miyuki answered.

"Then it _is_ dangerous," Akane cut in, "So what to we do about it?"

"The problem at the minute is what Katagiri's going to do," Osaki answered, "Aircraft being called in to attack Rodan in the volcano; if it sees them as intruders, and I'm betting it will… Katagiri's more than likely sending those pilots to their deaths."

* * *

OK, I'll stop there for now as my cold is making me feel like something that's come out the back end of a camel. On a lighter note, I've got an eBay auction underway for some Godzilla movies- can you say 'collection complete'?


	6. Summit Battle

Wow, 6 chapters already? Anyway, for anyone interested, Neos 2 has asked me to take care of Episode 4 of Soul of a Monster, so that's up now. If anyone spots any Godzilla: The Series references, they're probably either intentional or burned into my subconscious from repeated viewing. For that show is the single greatest TV series ever created by anyone anywhere ever.

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

SUMMIT BATTLE

"What I don't get," Kazama pointed out, "Is how these UN word-I-can't-quite-pronounce countermeasure guys have all these choppers and ships and airplanes, but nobody knows they exist."

"They're mainly JSDF troops," Gordon explained, "The UNXCC has international jurisdiction. I wouldn't be surprised if these pilots had no idea who they were working for."

Osaki stepped forward to where Katagiri had just finished speaking into a radio.

"Three F-18s, and they'll be here any second," Katagiri announced smugly, "As I said: Time to let the professionals take over."

"When did he say that?" Kazama whispered.

"General, your weapons aren't going to kill that thing," Osaki insisted, "At most, they'll just provoke it into doing even more damage."

"Action has to be taken, _Captain_," Katagiri answered, with a strong emphasis on the rank, "And there's still the reptile to deal with."

"His name is _Godzilla_," Miki interrupted harshly.

Katagiri stepped forward, looking down icily to meet her eye.

"If I were you," He said darkly, "I would mind my manners, and remember who I was talking to, Ms. Saegusa." He stepped forward, and said quietly and venomously, "Or would you like everybody in your home town to know what happened all that time ago."

Miki stepped back, her mind filling with anger and grief and indignation all at once.

"Out of line, buddy!" Kazama snapped.

Ignoring him, Katagiri turned back around.

"Godzilla, Rodan, whatever they're called, these creatures are dangerous," he continued, "Nothing but the results of mistakes. Freaks. Abominations."

Miki didn't even need her powers to know that those last two words were directed at her.

Katagiri simply walked into one of the tents of the base camp.

"I'd shoot him just to wipe the expression of his face," Akane spat.

"I actually agree with the miss secret-agent here," Miyuki nodded.

"Right now, our problem's Rodan," Gordon reminded them. "If this gets spun the wrong way, it's a bad day for the Armed Forces; they're in a siege situation against an overgrown animal… and they're losing."

"And once those F-18s get here," Osaki agreed, "It's going to get a whole lot worse."

"Hey," Kazama tapped Miki on the shoulder, "500 yen says the jackass's plan crashes and burns inside of two minutes!"

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The screaming engines of the three F-18 aircraft flared as they shot over the ashen cloud, descending toward the volcano, two breaking formation to circle round in an attempt to establish visual contact.

Finally, something pushed aside the base of the column of smoke, the huge wings parting as Rodan swooped up, as if leaping onto the rim of the volcano.

The avian monster's wings unfolded, Rodan howling up at the intruders as the wings unfolded to their fullest, most intimidating width.

"Target sighted," One of the pilots reported, "Permission to fire?"

In the base camp below, Katagiri looked up with the smug sense of superiority that came with a certainness of success.

"Fire."

A single missile detached from the wing of the first craft, the end of it flaring to life as the missile shot down on a trail of smoke, straight down towards Rodan.

Rodan folded its wings, wrapping them around its body as the missile collided. It burst into a ball of fire almost as big as Rodan's whole upper body, consuming the middle of the creature in flame as the blast expanded, smoke billowing out to shroud the entire creature.

All eyes below watched in tense silence, as Katagiri gave a cold, victorious smile.

The smoke parted… and there was Rodan, its wings not even scratched from the impact. Unfolding its wings, Rodan pushed them downwards in a massive flap, sending itself shooting up into the air, as the loose rock of the volcano's rim crumbled before the sheer force.

Rodan shot up into the air with incredible force, circling in the air like the most practiced of pilots.

The pterosaur pulled back its head, parted its jaws, and exhaled a stream of fire. The F-18 that had fired at it veered to the side, but the stream of flame caught the back of the craft, even if only for a second. Immediately, however, the sheer temperature caused the fuel tank to explode, the pilot ejecting as the plane exploded, becoming a falling star of flaming wreckage that plummeted down into the forest below.

"Wow," Kazama commented as he stared up, "It _literally_ crashed and burned. So who saw that coming?"

"A mile away," Miki answered from beside him.

Rodan shot forward past the other two craft. Each of the pilots immediately locked on, pressing the switches that send a missile shooting forward from each of them.

The missiles shot forward behind Rodan, closing in on their target. Rodan, however, swung round in the air, heading straight toward the projectiles. Suddenly, the flying monster's wings flapped forward, sending an invisible wave of wind surging forward. The missiles, struck by the sheer force of a split-second hurricane, veered off-course, spiralling out-of-control through the air before detonating, bursting into spheres of flame that hung in the air, smoke pouring in all directions.

Rodan shot forwards as the two F-18s arced around it. The monster turned easily in the air and shot after them, quickly closing in behind one of the craft. As the pilot burst out of the cockpit, parachute expanding, the craft was smashed in Rodan's beak, burst into flames, chunks of burning wreckage falling from Rodan's mouth.

The final craft turned in the air, a pair of missile shooting forth just as Rodan smashed the other one to bits. The missiles collided with the monster's head, bursting into explosions that covered the entire creature.

Rodan shot downwards out of the smoky cloud of fire, before swooping up into the wake of the F-18.

G-Force and Katagiri watched from below as the craft shot round the volcano, Rodan in pursuit, breathing forth another stream of fire and narrowly missing its target.

Finally, Rodan caught up and, lashing out with one foot, caught the craft between its talons, smashing the entire thing in two. The front half of the craft was instantly sent flying out of control as the back half exploded within Rodan's claws.

Rodan gave a victorious howl, turning round in the air and descending towards the volcano while Katagiri watched in quiet shock as his plan literally went up in flames.

* * *

I was originally going to a little 'afterwards' scene, but I'll put it in the next chapter, as I think that line was a good closer for this chapter.

Now, I know Rodan's territorial thing is a little similar to Anguirus, but that's just to emphasise the point that they are animals. Once I get to Episode 4, it'll be very different from the previous three, I can promise you that.

All reviews welcome!


	7. The Big Guns

ANNOUNCEMENT: After this episode, I will be writing Takuya out of 'Kaiju Wars', basically because he just wasn't working as a character; he had zilch development, no lines that couldn't have easily been said by another character, and when I looked at it, minimal, if any, impact on the long-term plot. The only reason he's not already is because I don't want to have a character up and vanish in the middle of a story. And I'm damned if I'm going to do another rewrite just because of him. The lunatic has spoken!!!

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter. There's two more to go after this, and in the next chapter, there's the event you've all been waiting for…

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

THE BIG GUNS

"Well that didn't go well," Miyuki stated sarcastically.

"So does this make it our turn now?" Kazama spoke up.

"I doubt it," Takuya answered, "The UNXCC are professionals. We're effectively the new guys."

Gordon suddenly burst into the command tent behind them.

"Miki," He stated, "We've got a problem."

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A trio of aircraft descended through the air, arcing toward Mt. Aso and the shore beyond.

"Red Leader beginning approach, request permission to engage target."

"Disengage," Colonel Gordon's gruff voice came in over the radio, "Repeat, disengage."

"Colonel?"

"You have your orders," Gordon snapped. "Disengage now."

G-Force, alongside the colonel, watched with necks craned up as the three craft altered their course, turning away through the air.

"Colonel!" Katagiri's voice snapped behind him, "Did you just give an order, in a situation under _my_ authority, to disengage?"

"Yes," Gordon answered flatly. "And I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Do you have _any_ idea what's approaching right now?" Katagiri demanded.

"Godzilla." Osaki cut in. "He won't come any closer unless provoked."

"And you know that, I take it." Katagiri said derisively.

"Yes, we do," Miyuki answered, "We've observed Godzilla. We've studied him. And we can tell you right now that nothing in your entire arsenal would have done anything other than make him mad enough to burn this whole place to the ground, which he is fully capable of doing."

Katagiri could do nothing but stand there fuming.

"I am _not_ going to stand by while that _thing_ is sitting on top of us," He snarled. "Or were you unaware of what it did this morning?"

"This morning?" Osaki asked. Miki froze as she realised what Katagiri meant.

"It near-obliterated a nuclear-class submarine," Katagiri replied. "Tore the hull clean open."

Osaki turned silently to Miki, who looked away guiltily.

"We can handle this," Osaki pointed out. "We know exactly what to do about Godzilla… and as it happens, we might have a solution to our pterodactyl problem as well."

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"So what do you have planned?" Takuya asked.

"Godzilla." Osaki answered, "He's just here keeping an eye on Miki. But…" He turned to Miki, "Miki, I need an honest answer here: What happened this morning?"

"The sub was there looking for Godzilla," Miki answered shakily. "Godzilla sensed it or smelled it or something, and he swam out and attacked it."

"Territorialism," Miyuki realised.

"No," Miki shook her head, "It was me."

Everyone went silent.

"I didn't tell him to do it," Miki insisted, "But he was protecting me. It was my fault," She added tearfully under her breath.

"It wasn't your doing, kiddo," Miyuki reassured her, "His protective instinct must have gone into overdrive with you being injured, but… they said there were no casualties."

"This still proves that Godzilla's dangerous," Akane pointed out.

"You just button it," Osaki said sharply, before turning back to Miki. "You stopped him, didn't you?"

Miki nodded.

"Look," Osaki started, "I know you're going through a lot with… well, everything… but… this situation is getting worse by the minute. Rodan's a dangerous creature, and nothing the armed forces have can stop him." He looked her in the eye, "We need him, Miki."

"No!" Miki snapped, realising what he meant, "No. No way!"

"We don't have that many options," Takuya reminded her. "You could use this link and call him here."

"I won't," Miki answered, "He's a living thing, not a gun we can just draw when we want to kill something!"

"None of us are happy about this either," Osaki replied, "But we don't have a choice."

"Rodan doesn't deserve it," Miki answered, "He's just an animal!"

"This is a serious situation," Gordon lectured, "We all know you're not happy about it, but if this continues, it's just going to escalate, and innocent people are going to be killed. Katagiri won't back down, even if just because he's a vindictive ass, and this whole thing's just going to get worse unless it's dealt with now. This is the only way we can fix this."

Miki took a deep breath, looking down and shutting her eyes.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't let herself risk something like this…

But she also knew that everything they were saying was true.

"I can't," She insisted, "I just…"

"C'mon, kid," Kazama told her, "We both know the Big guy's pure badass."

"And what if he does something like this morning?" Miki finally admitted. "What if I can't stop him this time?"

A hushed silence followed as the reason for Miki's refusal became clear.

"Miki," Osaki started, "I've known you for three years, and by now, you know that I wouldn't be asking this of you if we had any other options."

Miki gave a long, quiet sigh.

"Alright." She finally said.

Closing her eyes, she reached out through the link to the mind that was waiting just offshore. Focusing on that, she turned the attention of this mind to the one that sat atop the volcano, and finally 'said', in a message of pure emotion, what she needed.

Her eyes snapped open, and she felt herself fall back for a second.

"He's coming," She announced.

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G-Force dashed outside as the shape beneath the water grew closer, the surface forced aside as a living mountain of scales and spines rose up; the familiar lean shape, reptilian head, well-developed limbs, all covered in near-black skin, and jagged spikes.

"Godzilla…" Katagiri breathed, turning to the soldiers behind him, "Open fire!"

"Belay that!" Gordon shouted over him, "Don't even think about asking me to explain."

Godzilla sniffed at the air, his orange eyes narrowing as he looked up at the volcano.

At the top of the smoking mountain, the dark, winged shape rose up again, howling into the air.

Godzilla a bellowing roar, Godzilla charged forward, clearing the soldiers in a single stride and charging toward the volcano.

* * *

That was probably the most difficult-to-write chapter yet. Ah well, next chapter, we finally have what you've been waiting for this whole story…

All reviews welcome!


	8. Battle of the Giants

And now, ladies and gentlemen… the event you've all been waiting for… in this corner, the samurai warrior of the skies, the baron of the blitz… RODAN!!! And in this corner, weighing in at damn-I-just-broke-the-scales, that rambling wrecking ball of a reptile… GODZILLA!!! Watch as these two unstoppable titans square off in a battle for world supremacy… or something…

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

BATTLE OF THE GIANTS

Godzilla finally slowed to a stop, leaping up onto a huge cluster of rocks on the side of the volcano. Above him, the cloud of ash parted briefly as Rodan's wings were flung open, casting the ash away as the flying monster glided down.

Rodan pulled back its head, a stream of orange flame shooting out. Godzilla leaned to the side, the fire coating the ground beside him as he hunched down, gave a low, angry snarl, and leapt up into the air.

With timing that could (and previously had) put a fighter pilot to shame, Rodan rolled to the side, Godzilla's leap missing entirely as he landed further up the volcano, kicking up a cloud of dust upon impact.

Rodan circled above him, flapping his wings forward and striking Godzilla with a wave of wind. Godzilla leaned back, but maintained his stance as Rodan swooped over him. As Rodan passed, it pushed itself forward with its wings, the result burst of speed, as Rodan broke the sound barrier, unleashing a fully audible sonic 'boom' directly next to Godzilla's head. The sheer force of the blast sent Godzilla falling sideways, striking the ground head-first.

Turning in the air, Rodan swooped down, gliding quickly to the ground as Godzilla rose up with an irate growl. Just as Godzilla turned, Rodan lashed out, parting its beak and biting onto Godzilla's neck.

Godzilla bellowed his fury, turning round sharply and carrying Rodan with his own momentum in an effort to shake his enemy off; but Rodan simply grabbed hold of Godzilla's spinal plates with the claws in the middle of each wing, solidifying his hold on the monster.

"Godzilla…" Miki whispered fearfully as she watched the behemoths struggle.

If this all went wrong… if Godzilla died, or more people were killed during the struggle… then it would be her fault. All her fault.

And yet, just as before, it was somehow exhilarating when, with a mighty twist, Godzilla finally forced Rodan's beak off of his neck and, shifting himself round, rammed headfirst into Rodan with all his strength, carrying the avian creature back and ploughing it into the ground.

Catching snippets of Godzilla's fight with Anguirus through the link had been one thing. But this was simply spectacular; the power, the savagery, the way they just seemed to _big_ to be real.

As Rodan rose, shooting up into Godzilla and knocking him aside, there was some epic quality to the struggle to these two animals… something fantastic and otherworldly. Even as Godzilla fell to the ground, it was like the sound of thunder. They were terrifying, yes, but… they were also amazing. Spectacular.

Like gods fighting over heaven and earth.

Rodan circled over Godzilla, spitting forth a ball of fire that the saurian evaded effortlessly. As Rodan ascended up the volcano, Godzilla charged up in pursuit. Now that this fight had begun, there was only one way it could end.

Godzilla hunched down and leapt up with all his strength, slamming into Rodan and carrying the flying creature forward. Just short of the top of the volcano, they slammed into the ground, Godzilla standing over Rodan and giving a raging roar.

Rodan's beak parted, a burst of flame shooting out into Godzilla's face. Hissing angrily, Godzilla stepped back as Rodan shot up into the air, perching on the rim of the volcano.

Down below, Osaki looked away from the warring titans for a moment when he seemed to fell something. With a sudden jolt, he realised it; it was faint, but growing every second.

The ground was shaking.

"The volcano!" He realised, "I think they're triggering an eruption!"

Just as he said, within the volcano, the heat started to rise, the amounts of ashen smoke increase, and the entire thing began to shake, patches of red, liquid magma rising up slowly.

On the edge of the heated abyss, Godzilla's spinal plates lit up for a second, his eyes flashed blue, and a stream of brilliant blue flame shot forth. Rodan folded its wings over itself, the atomic flame striking the protective scales, spreading over them to cover Rodan virtually head-to-toe. Behind its shield, despite the power of the attack, Rodan sat safe and unharmed.

The attack finally ceased, Rodan swooping up into the air and spitting forth a burst of fire. Godzilla leapt clean over it, perching himself on the rim of the volcano as Rodan circled him.

Rodan swooped down, but even as he shot towards his target, Godzilla thrust his tail up, striking Rodan in the chest. Already going at full speed, the force of the blow knocked Rodan off-course, the pterosaur spiralling out-of-control and falling down past the rim, toward the widening lake of magma beneath.

Rodan spread its wings, Rodan swooped upwards, up past Godzilla, breathing another stream of fire. Immediately, a blast of blinding blue flame shot from Godzilla's maw. The two blasts collided in mid-air, fire of both colours spiralling out in all directions. One would have thought that this might mean a stalemate; however, Rodan's attack was, in essence, normal flame, whereas Godzilla's was something far more powerful. Godzilla's atomic flame breath shot up, striking Rodan and knocking him back through the air.

Regaining its senses, Rodan gave an angry howl, swooping down at Godzilla to plough him into the side of the volcano. Godzilla roared furiously, even as the rock beneath him started to crumble. Righting himself as Rodan circled round for another attack, he leapt forth, clear through the air, slamming into Rodan.

Miki watched in horror as the two monsters collided, arced through the air, and fell straight into the volcano.

The two monsters vanished into the lake of magma below, even as the sides of the crater around them began to shake, loose chunks of rock falling to splash into the liquid rock.

An entire side of the volcano's rim caved in, falling apart into a shower of rock and dust. As if the destruction was moving around in a circle, the rest of the circle of rock started, bit-by-bit, to follow, falling into a rain of debris.

When it finally stopped, a layer of rock covered the volcano, thick smoke rising between the few cracks.

"Godzilla!" Miki cried out, running forward before Osaki and Akane grabbed her. "Please, no… he can't be…"

A long, total silence followed.

"No way," Kazama insisted.

"Ha!" Katagiri shouted, "Perfect! Two freaks with one stone!"

Miki felt the thick, salty tears form in her eyes, seeping out and down her cheeks.

He couldn't be gone… after everything that happened, he couldn't just be… gone…

Then, there was the sound of an explosion from the shore, a burst of water and heat and smoke.

Godzilla burst from the water, red streaks of lava dripping from his arms from where he had half-dug, half-swum his way out.

"No!" Katagiri shouted, "It can't be!"

"YES!!!" Miki cheered, punching the air and pulling the closest person to her at the moment (Akane) into a near-bone-crushing hug.

"Move in!" Katagiri ordered, "Fire!"

Immediately, Miki shut her eyes, focusing on Godzilla. With another burst of pure emotion through the link, she told him he needed to go.

Godzilla turned and, as if leaping forward, dived into the water, vanishing beneath the surface until only the tips of his spines remained, before they too vanished under the water.

"Nice save," Osaki whispered as Katagiri watched in mute shock and outrage.

"We'll take care of Godzilla," Kazama chuckled. "Don't worry, we're professionals."

Katagiri stepped forward, glaring daggers.

"I _will_ kill that thing," He snarled.

Miki, despite the fact that one would expect her to be angered by such a remark, simply stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear.

"You know," She told him, "You might want to be a little bit nicer to Godzilla… y'know, considering that he just did your job for you."

* * *

OK, hope everybody enjoyed that little scrap. Did Rodan survive? More than likely. I can promise that he and Anguirus will be back eventually.

One last chapter to go of this, then this story arc comes to a close and "Legacy" kicks off.

All reviews welcome!


	9. Aftermath

And here we are: The closing chapter of this story. And yes, **Queen of the Monsters**, the next story will feature Mothra.

By the by, watching an episode of Godzilla: The Series, I came to the conclusion that the episode's title, "Ring of Fire", might have been more appropriate for this story (what with two fire-breathers fighting in a volcano and all) so I might change it. Should I go for it?

Godzilla is © Toho

* * *

AFTERMATH

JSDF Base, North of Tokyo, Japan, Briefing Room

"There's been no sign of Rodan since the eruption," Colonel Gordon announced, "Despite the fact that no remains were found, we can only assume that Godzilla finished it off."

"So what about the G-ster?" Kazama asked.

"The UNXCC was left with no choice other than to leave that situation in your hands," Gordon answered, "But… the way I see it, there's only one thing can be done about the situation."

Colonel Gordon took a deep breath, leaned forward on the desk, and explained what he had in mind.

"No," Osaki stated as soon as he was finished, "No way."

"She's a child," Miyuki insisted, "She's not nearly ready for something like that."

"I actually agree with these two," Akane replied, "We can't entrust a 15-year-old with something so dangerous."

"Actually I think we should try it," Kazama spoke up, earning angry glances from the rest of the room. "As opposed to what? Besides, you all… well Akane doesn't, but the rest of you all know that she can take it."

"I don't like it either," Gordon told them, "But it's the only option we have. I'll tell her."

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She'd locked the door.

She'd locked the door and taken the key out.

Miyuki had been serious about not straining that arm.

Miki gave another frustrated look at the door, supremely annoyed that she wasn't skilled enough with her powers to affect a lock.

Much to her surprise, the door suddenly opened before her, and there was Colonel Gordon.

"Let me guess," She sighed, "You've-got-no-choice-but…"

"No, I don't have a choice," Colonel Gordon answered, "Someone's bound to fire my ass over this one, but your pet lizard got rid of a very credible threat to Japan's national security. So, as of this moment, regarding Godzilla… you're in charge of him."

Miki stood still in total shock, her eyes widening.

"…I'm what?" She checked.

"From here on in, he's your responsibility. I can give him the benefit of the doubt, but…" He sighed, "This is important, Miki: So listen, and listen good. Godzilla is still a powerful and, mainly, dangerous creature. Whether I'll be able to turn a blind eye to him still running around depends entirely on you keeping him under control. As long as he stays in line, fine. But if he ever goes postal… then it'll be out of my hands. You understand?"

Miki nodded.

"So unless that happens…" She asked.

"I'd say I just appointed you as…" Gordon searched for the right word, "Custodian."

Miki pulled him into a tight hug, almost squealing like a schoolgirl.

"Thank you," She squeaked, "I promise, you won't regret this!"

"Just make sure I don't," Gordon warned. As he turned to the door, he finished with: "Good luck, kid."

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In the distance, just past the cliff that divided the JSDF base from the sea, Godzilla skimmed the surface of the water, the top of his head and his spiked back breaking the surface as he sniffed at the air and dived back under the water.

Miki sat on top of the cliff, a concerned frown having long overtaken her pretty face.

She still knew that he was dangerous. He'd attacked the sub, and unless she was careful, he would do something like that.

In the last two weeks, everything had changed for her. Giant monsters, secret organisations, almost getting killed, watching two literally larger-than-life monsters fight on top of a volcano like something from a movie…

Two weeks back suddenly seemed like a long time ago.

Now, she had a responsibility greater than any she'd had before. Deep down, she honestly didn't know if she could handle it.

She sensed the cold, disciplined presence approach from behind her.

"Hey," She greeted Akane coldly, not taking her eyes off Godzilla has he rolled over lazily in the waves. "I didn't think you'd still be around. Godzilla got rid of Rodan."

"I've been ordered to observe the situation regarding Godzilla," Akane replied matter-of-factly, "Indefinitely."

"You still think he should be killed, don't you?" Miki asked.

"However much potential value you might see in him," Akane answered as she watched Godzilla coldly, "That creature is still a greater potential threat than any other living thing on Earth."

"Thought so," Miki shrugged, "So what brings you up here, unless you want to talk to the 'overly-sentimental child'?"

"It's true," Akane admitted, "I think Godzilla's dangerous. And I think that assigning any single person to monitor him, especially someone so young, is a poorly-thought-out idea that could have disastrous consequences."

Miki sat still, looking at Godzilla as Akane sat down next to her.

"I also think," She said more kindly, "That the Colonel couldn't have chosen a better person to do it." This honestly came as a surprise. "Yes, you're a sentimentalist, and I doubt whether you're ready for this. But today, dealing with this crisis… I was honestly amazed."

"…Seriously?"

"Yes. You showed a level of devotion and loyalty that was genuinely impressive."

"Wow," Miki breathed. "Didn't see that coming."

"Well I have a report to fill out," Akane said as she stood up, "And I'll be leaving the link out." She gave a brief smile before leaving the bemused Miki with her thoughts.

Oddly enough, the first thing Miki remembered was Gordon's words to her:

"_Good luck, Kid_."

The first thing she thought was that, considering what she was being thrown headfirst into, she was going to need it.

The second was that it might not be in as short supply as she thought.

END

* * *

And this concludes Episode 3. As is always the case, Episode 4, "Legacy", is now up for your enjoyment.

All reviews welcome!


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